Best EE SIM only deals (July 2022): The ultimate SIM deals from the EE shop for any phone

On the hunt for the best EE SIM only deals available? We’ve rounded up the latest discounts and deals from the EE shop for you in this guide. These SIM only deals will help you slash your monthly phone bills, boost your mobile data allowance, unlock free Netflix, and if you’re really lucky …all three!

Not in the mood for a lot of reading? Our favourite EE SIM only deal available right now lands with 160GB of 5G data each month, unlimited calls, text messages, and your choice of six-months free subscription to Apple Music or Apple TV+. The deal, which costs £12.50 per month for the first three months of your new contract, also allows you to share any remaining 4G or 5G data with family members on EE.

This deal comes with a Smart Benefit too, allowing you to pick ‘n’ mix each month between a number of perks, like a free Netflix subscription, BT Sport Ultimate, free roaming across Europe and North America, and more.

EE isn’t known for its low-cost SIM only deals. In fact, the mobile network is pretty consistently the most pricey on the market. However, what it lacks in mind-bogglingly cheap phone plans it more than makes up for with some of the most reliable, widespread and fastest 4G and 5G coverage across the UK.

RootMetrics, which specialises in mobile network performance, has crowned EE as the overall best performing network in the UK since 2013. EE has consistently won the top awards for the best network reliability and speed. In other words, if you’ve treated yourself to a shiny new smartphone and want to ensure that you’re always able to take advantage of its features with speedy mobile internet – indoors and outdoors – nationwide, then EE is probably your best bet.

BT-owned EE does offer some generous perks for its SIM only customers. Dubbed Smart Benefits, these perks are only available on select plans but can be swapped-out every month within the EE companion app on iPhone and Android. Customers can pick ‘n mix between…

• Free Netflix subscription (worth £6.99 per month)
• Free access to BT Sports Ultimate (worth £10 per month)
• Free Apple Music subscription (worth £9.99 per month)
• Video Data Pass (stream TV shows and movies without eating into your monthly data allowance)
• Roam Abroad (use your monthly data, minutes and texts abroad without incurring any extra costs)

EE SIM only deals work with both iPhone and all Android brands, including Samsung, Google Pixel, Oppo, OnePlus, and Motorola, to name a few. If you already own a smartphone outright or have bought a new handset with monthly instalments from another retailer, you’ll be able to insert the new SIM and begin using it immediately.

What Is The Best Thing About EE?

Without a doubt, the best part of EE is the incredible nationwide coverage in the UK. Its 4G network enjoys around 99% coverage across the UK population and roughly 86% of the landmass of the country.

While the 5G network is much newer, it’s now available in all major UK cities and is rapidly expanding across the rest of the country. EE hopes that 50% of the UK will be able to access this blistering quick service by 2023.

For those who don’t know, 5G is the successor to 4G and unlocks much faster download speeds (comfortably beating the average UK home broadband speed in tests) and lower latency. 5G networks are better at handling large numbers of devices, so you should be able to continue making FaceTime calls, uploading to social media, and downloading music during huge crowds at festivals and concerts.

The phone in your pocket is almost guaranteed to be compatible with 4G, however, you’ll need to upgrade to a new handset to take advantage of next-generation 5G speeds. The latest mid-tier and flagship models from Apple, Samsung, Google and OnePlus all support the technology, so if you’ve upgraded within the last two years, chances are, you’ll be able to take advantage of the improvements available from EE’s 5G network with your new SIM only deal.

What Is The Worst Thing About EE?

Unfortunately, EE has decided to reintroduce EU roaming charges following the UK’s departure from the European Union. If you take out a SIM only or pay monthly contract after July 7, 2021 then EE will charge you £2 per day to use the calls, text messages, and mobile data allowances like you would at home. Ouch.

Customers with older contracts, taken out before July 7, 2021, are exempt from the EU roaming charges for now.

If you have a SIM only or pay monthly plan with a Smart Benefit, it’s possible to switch to the Roam Abroad perk before you jet off on your trip. This lets you use your call minutes, text messages, and 4G/5G mobile data abroad without incurring any extra charges. In fact, the Roam Abroad pass extends well beyond Europe. You’ll be able to make calls, send texts and use up to 15GB of your allowance in the United States, Canada, Australia and dozens more at no extra cost.

Best EE SIM Only Deals in July 2022

Looking for the best EE SIM only deals? We’ve put together a comprehensive list of the ultimate plans available at the moment. EE allows you to pick between a 24-, 12-, or one-month contract when choosing which SIM only deal works best for you. As you’d imagine, a one-month rolling contract costs substantially more than a 24-month contract. For those looking for the most affordable plans, we’d recommend picking a two-year SIM only deal to unlock a bigger data allowance and Smart Benefits for a lower cost each month.

Best EE SIM Only Deals: Best Overall Deal

Our top pick from EE arrives with 160GB of 5G mobile data, unlimited calls, text messages, and your choice of a six-month free subscription to Apple Music or Apple TV+. All of that costs just £12.50 per month for the first three months. If you have family members on EE, you’ll be able to share any unused data throughout the month to give them a boost.

Of course, if you don’t own a 5G-compatible handset quite yet, you’ll be able to take advantage of exactly the same deal with a 4G-powered phone. There’s a lot to love about this EE SIM deal, including the fact that you can never run out of mobile data. Yes, really.

Introduced by EE SIM plans from July 7, 2021 onwards, EE will keep you connected to 4G mobile internet even when you’ve eaten through your monthly allowance.

In the past, you’d need to spend more to unlock more data, however, EE will now simply switch your SIM onto a slower speed (0.5Mbps), which will be fine to send text messages via WhatsApp, Messenger and iMessage, but will struggle to stream 4K Ultra HD boxsets from Netflix or YouTube. This should be hugely reassuring for anyone who frets about running out of mobile data with any SIM only plan that doesn’t come with unlimited data.

This plan comes with a Smart Benefit too, so you’ll be able to pick from a few different options each month, which we’ve outlined above.

Best EE SIM Only Deals: Cheapest Deal

The cheapest EE SIM only deal isn’t available directly from EE. Instead, it’s offered exclusively via comparison site Uswitch, which offers a SIM only deal with 10GB of 4G mobile data, unlimited text messages, and unlimited calls. Better yet, the length of the contract is only 12-months. That means you’ll be able to renegotiate a new deal much sooner than some other deals, which could be an advantage if you want to always ensure you have the most affordable plan.

While you’re not buying from the EE shop, you’ll still be using exactly the same mobile network as everyone else, so you won’t need to worry about being a second-class citizen with slower 5G speeds. Like all of the plans included in this guide, if you have a 5G-compatible handset, your new SIM only deal will unlock superfast and reliable 5G downloads. If you’ve still got a 4G-only device, this mobile plan will work exactly the same …albeit with slightly slower 4G speeds.